Acer E5-571-56CZ stuck in auto update loop/black screen

stonefish1
stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
in Aspire Laptops
Hi

My laptop was stuck in auto update with spinning circle, now it turns on but just displays black screen.
I have tried some options e.g. turning on/off, draining battery, pressing various keys: control, alt, delete or f keys
I'm no tech expert so don't know what I'm doing or if I'm creating further problems...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    (1) Press and hold power button till laptop shuts off
    (2) Unplug charger. No LEDs should be lit.
    (3) Slide battery release button #2 with ballpoint pen and pull battery pack #1 out.
    (4) Press and hold power button for about a  minute
    (5) Push battery pack back in. The spring loaded release button should auto lock the battery.
    (6) Plug charger back in but wait till battery charge LED turns from steady orange to steady blue
    (7) Only after battery charge LED turns steady blue, turn laptop back on and immediately press the F2 key to enter the BIOS menu
    (8) Press F9 in the BIOS menu to load defaults. Press F10 to save defaults and exit the BIOS menu
    (9) Laptop should start Windows login normally


    Jack E/NJ

  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Thank you for your detailed reply, I will follow the directions and fingers crossed it works! Will let you know how I get on
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    OK. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too. :)

    Jack E/NJ

  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    edited February 2022
    Hi JackE

    I have tried your instructions thanks, however, unfortunately even though there are no visible lights or sound to indicate that the laptop is switched on, when I follow step 6 and plug in the charger, I initially get one steady orange light then the orange light starts flashing along with a blue light directly to the left.
    I do not get a steady blue light, even after keeping the charger plugged in for sometime.
    I resorted to trying the next step of switching on and pressing f2, but the laptop initially whirls and then makes no sound or screen start up.

    I suspect that it is beyond repair, but any other suggestions would be gratefully received!



  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder
    Bad battery maybe ?
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    >>>My laptop was stuck in auto update with spinning circle, now it turns on but just displays black screen.>>>

    Did this happen suddenly for no apparent reason? Meaning, did you shutdown Windows normally at the end of the day, and the next day when you tried to turn it on all you got was a black screen? Do you see any screen activity at all? Like an ACER logo boot screen?

    Jack E/NJ

  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hi

    It happened quite a while ago but thought it was time to sort it, so I can't exactly remember...
    My laptop was beginning to have problems at shut down/start up. I remember that for a while, every time I switched it on it would state auto repair and show a circle of moving dots, but nothing else would happen. I tried a few things and a one point I did get on the BIOS screen (can't remember if it was through pressing f2 though!) but I didn't know what to do next so I left it, now I just get a little whirling sound followed by the black screen of doom...

    Arrgghh!
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    >>> I initially get one steady orange light then the orange light starts flashing along with a blue light directly to the left.
    I do not get a steady blue light, even after keeping the charger plugged in for sometime.>>>It happened quite a while ago >>>

    You at least have a battery that's fallen below the critical 5% charge level. It may not be recoverable. How long have you left it plugged in with the LEDs flashing?

    Jack E/NJ

  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Over an hour, longer in the past - possibly overnight...
    Have I fried my battery?   :(
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    Leave it charging for 24 hrs. If still flashing LEDs, then probably either the battery or the charger or both.

    But your comment.>>>It happened quite a while ago >>> leads me to guess the battery drained below the critical charge level. Especially if it's been sitting around for a few weeks or longer in a fast boot shutdown state. Unfortunately, fast boot state is usually the default setting cuz it shaves about 30-60 seconds off the boot time than normal boot.  But its shutdown state drains the battery a lot faster.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Callistemon
    Callistemon Member Posts: 106 Skilled Fixer WiFi Icon
    fast boot state is usually the default setting cuz it shaves about 30-60 seconds off the boot time than normal boot

    Fast Startup adds 30 to 60 seconds to the startup time. It hibernates the kernel, which doesn't increase power drain while off. The power state is the same as a proper shut down. The extra time spent shutting down and starting up is where the battery is unnecessarily drained. Even if there was a power drain, Windows can resume with Fast Startup. Fast Boot is a BIOS setting that rushes hardware detection during POST.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    Sorry, no. Fast startup subtracts not adds to the boot time. It also keeps some background Win processes in RAM so Win boot does not have to reload them. As for the BIOS, some firmware have fast boot setting in the Main tab that skips checking for certain hardware. The firmware setting is separate from the Win fast startup setting.

    Jack E/NJ

  • Callistemon
    Callistemon Member Posts: 106 Skilled Fixer WiFi Icon
    Fast startup subtracts not adds to the boot time
    On some systems, and if it is working properly, but often it isn't. On HDD it greatly depends on which tracks the pagefile is located relative to the permanent system files. If the pagefile is closer to the inner spindle because it is the newest data on a full HDD, it will be slower than permanent system files that were originally written near the outer diameter. The outer diameters rotate at a higher MPH, and store more data so less tracks are spanned by sideways actuation.
     It also keeps some background Win processes in RAM so Win boot does not have to reload them.
    There is no volatile memory once it shuts down, as can be demonstrated by using the battery reset pinhole while being hibernated. Fast Startup is a lesser version of hibernate, so if hibernate can be preserved during a power drain, then Fast Startup can't be using volatile memory either. Where it saves is the HDD, but the HDD isn't much faster than the HDD.
    As for the BIOS, some firmware have fast boot setting in the Main tab that skips checking for certain hardware. The firmware setting is separate from the Win fast startup setting.

    Yes, this is correct. I was trying to say Fast Boot is different, not that Fast Startup is the BIOS thing.

  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    edited February 2022
    Hi,

    I've managed to charge my laptop so that there is a steady blue light. I unplugged, took battery out and pressed start button for 1 minute, replaced battery and checked the light was blue when I replugged charger (which it was, no orange light) I pressed start button and f2, laptop whirled and there was two steady blue lights. But screen still black 😞 Laptop whirls for approx 30 secs, the on blue light goes off and about 3 secs later the laptop automatically whirls again and the blue light comes back on, but nothing else. This keeps repeating (is it the auto repair loop it's stuck in???)

    I hope you are able to guide me and advise what else to try?


  • stonefish1
    stonefish1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Is anyone able to advise me?

    Thanks!
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,886 Trailblazer
    Press and hold power button till laptop shuts off. Then turn it back on and immediately start tapping the F2 key. Does a BIOS menu screen appear?

    Jack E/NJ

  • Hightone
    Hightone Member Posts: 7 New User
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1095957#Comment_1095957

    Hi did you reset your bios?

    It sounds like a bios reprogram might do it if you like.

    Mine have a solid blue light with a orange light solid not blinking nothing starts up but nothing on screen or external monitor.

    Im going to reprogram my bios as well.

    Its worth a try.

    Never know best of luck to you.. Hope you sort your laptop out

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